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9th grade Glaciers, wind and landslides reshape the land worksheet

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Glaciers, wind and landslides reshape the land

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. A classmate says a retreating glacier's ice flows back uphill. Which reply fits NPS, by Esme's reading?

    • Correct; retreat means uphill flow
    • Correct; the ice freezes in place
    • No; the face retreats as melt wins, but the ice still flows downhill
    • No; retreating glaciers advance faster

  2. A student says creep is a kind of fast landslide. Which reply fits USGS, by Kira's reading?

    • Correct; creep is a rock fall
    • No; creep is imperceptibly slow and steady
    • No; creep is wind moving sand
    • Correct; creep moves several meters each second

  4. A dune migrates 12 m a year (example data). How long does it take to cross a 600 m valley floor, by Milo's math?

    • About 7,200 years
    • About 50 years
    • About 588 years
    • About 5 years

  5. A glacier flows 150 m a year (example data). How long does a rock riding on it take to travel 6 km to its moraine, by Noah's math?

    Use the picture in question 3.

    • About 900 years
    • About 40 years
    • About 4 years
    • About 400 years

  6. Read this first

    Use this

    Four evidence cards, labeled A to D.

  7. Which evidence best shows a valley was shaped by a glacier, by Pia's reading (NPS)?

    • Curved tree trunks on the slopes
    • A V-shaped profile and a winding stream on the valley floor
    • A U-shaped profile, striations and moraines
    • Ventifacts and sand dunes

  8. Which evidence best shows wind erosion in a desert, by Ren's reading (USGS)?

    • Striations scratched into bedrock
    • Curved tree trunks and small soil ripples on slopes
    • Blowouts, desert pavement and ventifacts
    • Moraines and cirques

  9. Striations on bedrock run north to south, and a terminal moraine lies at the south end (model data). Which way did the ice move, by Tala's reading?

    • From north to south
    • From south to north
    • From east to west
    • It cannot be told

  10. Which summary of glaciers fits NPS, by Zee's reading?

    • Ice carves moraines and drops cirques
    • Ice builds dunes and ventifacts
    • Ice flows uphill as it retreats, cuts V's and carves river bends
    • Ice flows downhill, carves U's and cirques, and drops moraines

  11. Which summary of wind's work fits USGS, by Ari's reading?

    • Wind carves U-shaped valleys
    • Abrasion lifts grains; deflation grinds rock
    • Deflation lifts grains; abrasion grinds rock; dunes move downwind
    • Dunes move upwind as sand climbs the slip face

  12. Which summary of mass wasting fits USGS and NPS, by Bo's reading?

    • Gravity moves rock and soil uphill
    • Gravity moves rock and soil downslope, from slow creep to fast falls
    • Wind moves rock and soil downslope
    • Creep is fast, and falls are slow
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9th grade Glaciers, wind and landslides reshape the land worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Explain how glaciers, wind and gravity reshape the land. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell glacial landforms apart (U-shaped valleys, cirques, striations, lateral, medial and terminal moraines) and read a glacier's balance of snow and melt.
  • I can explain wind's work: deflation, abrasion, ventifacts, loess and dunes that migrate downwind.
  • I can sort slope movements by speed (slow creep, fast falls and debris flows) and work rate × time with example rates.

Standard: supports HS-ESS2-1

Words to know

cirque: A steep-sided bowl carved at a glacier's head

moraine: A ridge of debris a glacier deposits

deflation: Wind lifting away loose, fine grains

abrasion: Windblown grains grinding rock

creep: Very slow, steady downslope movement of soil or rock

Common mistakes

Your child swapped the valley shapes. NPS: rivers cut V-shaped valleys; glaciers scour U-shaped valleys, broad at the base with steep sides.

Your child mixed up glacial features. NPS: moraines are ridges of debris a glacier deposits (terminal at its farthest point, lateral along its sides, medial where two join); cirques are bowls carved at its head.

Your child mixed up glacier flow and the glacier's face. NPS: the face advances or retreats with the balance of snow and melt, but the ice keeps gliding downhill.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with glaciers, wind and landslides reshape the land?

Your child swapped the valley shapes. NPS: rivers cut V-shaped valleys; glaciers scour U-shaped valleys, broad at the base with steep sides.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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